


Heart of Darkness

by Shyaway95, teslatempest



Series: To Save the Things We Love [11]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Danzo has a very different moral scale than everyone else, Dark Morality, Dehumanization of other characters, Gen, Getting into the villain's head, Introspection, Loads of Introspection, Old fashioned views of mental health and suicide, Politics, Suicide, Unreliable Narrator, but older shinobi would definitely have them, did we mention introspection?, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, we do not share these views, we went down a bit of a rabbit hole here ok people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24252442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shyaway95/pseuds/Shyaway95, https://archiveofourown.org/users/teslatempest/pseuds/teslatempest
Summary: Danzo considers the passage of the years.(This is part of a series!)
Series: To Save the Things We Love [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/930750
Comments: 12
Kudos: 117





	Heart of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> So this was not planned. At all. But the idea came and we had way too much fun brainstorming it and it’s interesting to get into the brain of the villain of the story. 
> 
> Trigger warnings are located at the end of the story, because Danzo’s brain.
> 
> Quick disclaimer here: we absolutely do not agree with the viewpoints expressed in this fic. This was just an experiment to get into the brain of another character in this universe and give another perspective. The trigger warnings are here for a reason, and we have a quick summary down below. If you have any concerns you really don’t need to read this one to understand the series—we just wanted to explore the mind of our villain. 
> 
> ~ Shy & Tes

“We live as we dream - alone. While the dream disappears, the life continues painfully.”

**― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness**

  
  


The office was cold.

It always was; that was how Danzo preferred it. Lower temperatures had a positive effect on productivity and attention span, and Danzo would never forsake efficiency for comfort.

There were two picture frames on Danzo’s desk, the only bits of sentimentality he allowed himself. The first was a portrait of himself and his wife in their wedding kimonos. Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, Kagami, and Torifu had all pitched in their meagre savings to hire the renowned Sesshu Toyo to capture their likenesses as a marriage gift. They looked austere and serious -- dignified -- the only sign of affection being Kaede’s hand resting daintily upon his own.

The second frame was filled with an actual picture, one taken back when cameras were a new and exciting piece of technology from the capital. In it, the six of them -- the entirety of the Nidaime’s elite Escort Unit -- were pictured standing side by side in a united front. Tobirama-sensei had died only three months before and their faces were lined obviously with grief. Danzo, on principal, didn’t allow his picture to be taken often but, of the few that existed, this one was his favorite. It was representative of a time when all of them were united in purpose and conviction, sharing the same dream for Konoha’s future. A time before personal loss, professional rivalry, and political differences had ripped them all apart.

Danzo never allowed himself to feel regret, but the fond wistfulness the picture called forth was a small enough indulgence to be allowed, given the circumstances. 

Danzo permitted his shoulders to slump, taking a fortifying sip of tea from his cup -- a delicate, porcelain thing with whimsical brushstrokes painting a serene forest scene. It was the last remaining cup from the set Kaede had bought for their first anniversary, breathless with delight and cheer as she lined them up in their cupboard. Danzo had never cared for them, but he found himself growing more sentimental in his old age and he now considered it his favorite cup, as much as he could have such a thing. The tea was strong, meant to keep his mind sharp through the many hours he spent working, and those had only increased in recent months.

Danzo swallowed heavily and allowed his gaze to be drawn back to that damnable picture.

Despite the constant antagonism during the last years of his life, Hiruzen had always been a constant in Danzo’s life, and now the man was dead. Truly a waste. 

He sat back and sighed, the weight of the years heavy on his shoulders. The funeral had been nearly a month ago and it was still strange to realize that Hiruzen was truly, irrevocably gone. Never again would there be the same barbed debates across the council room or the yearly bottle of sake at Sensei’s grave. 

The impact of Hiruzen’s loss was only made sharper by the fact that Danzo had planned for it.

If only Hiruzen had seen sense! 

Danzo sighed again as he flattened his hands against the desk, framing his cup, eyes focused on the ripples and reflections marring the tea’s surface. It was truly a shame. Once they had been a team, fighting back to back, vicious and loyal and united. But as the years passed, it seemed Danzo had been the only one to keep his focus and drive, while Hiruzen…

Hiruzen had gone soft. 

He began to preach about the drawbacks of unnecessary cruelty and the importance of mercy in the pursuit of peace -- as if the Sandaime himself hadn’t designed and instigated some of the very same policies he later dared to condemn.

Since they had been children, Hiruzen had always been the most vicious of them all, equally relentless and merciless in both the pursuit of knowledge and of blood, and it was that savage cunning that had made him Tobirama-sensei’s favorite. It was what had ultimately earned him the title of Hokage. 

It was Hiruzen who had been the one to dig deep and plant Konoha’s roots firmly into the earth and he had done it through pain and war and fear. He had exploited every opening, every resource, every _person_ he could to ensure Konoha rose to the top and _stayed_ there. Danzo had learned how to rule and manipulate and to fight at Hiruzen’s side through the many, long years of his rule and, while they hadn’t always agreed, they’d shared a single purpose, a single goal.

And then Hiruzen’s eldest son had killed himself.

It had been a difficult mission, infiltration of an enemy Clan compound to slaughter the Clan Head and her highest ranking generals and to steal as many children as possible for integration into Konoha, but the boy had inherited his father’s tenaciousness and had completed the mission flawlessly.

Then the boy had gone home, took the Yahan Sword -- one of the oldest Sarutobi heirlooms -- and cut himself open.

Hiruzen and Biwako had both been devastated and distraught. Danzo had done what he could to comfort them, but it didn’t take him long to see the cracks begin to form. Hiruzen spent more time in thought, smoking his pipe and staring forlornly out the window, slower to give orders and more hesitant in his military pursuits. Danzo had prayed it was temporary, but as the months and years passed, it became increasingly clear that Hiruzen was allowing his son’s death to change him for the worse. 

_It was that last mission, Danzo. That last gods-bedamned,_ fucking _mission that did this to him. If I hadn’t asked him to do such a thing, he would still be here._

Danzo had been perplexed at Hiruzen’s attitude. Darkness was an inherent aspect of their profession and that darkness took a toll on all of them, but Hiruzen was acting like his son’s choice to end his life was an unexpected tragedy. As if Danzo or even Hiruzen himself hadn’t spent many a night thinking of their failures and eying their weapons, contemplating the _possibilities._

As sad as it had been, Danzo had not been surprised. Hiruzen’s son had been an excellent shinobi, but his heart had always been too soft. 

It was the strong, after all, who could return the kunai back to the shelf and continue on with their duties, and it was the weak who could not. That was the way the world _worked,_ had always worked, and Hiruzen _knew_ that -- until it was his own son who fell short. Hiruzen couldn’t bring himself to believe his eldest son was weak, and concluded that it must have been the _v_ _illage’s_ fault that he couldn’t withstand the pressure.

_We push our people too far, Danzo. We ask too much. We_ take _too much._

As if culling out the weak was a sin.

_What’s the point in strength if we cripple ourselves to attain it?_

As if there was shame in sacrificing the few for the sake of the many.

_We’re strong now. Our position is secure enough that we can afford to enact change so that our children and grandchildren will not have to suffer as we have._

As if that strength wasn’t being maintained by the very actions he now condemned.

_There is a better way. If not, we will_ make _a better way._

As if they weren’t both old enough to know that boyish fantasies belonged in the past, buried alongside their childhood innocence.

Hiruzen hadn't listened.

The relaxation of military governance and the indulgence of both civilian and shinobi Clan demands had led to infighting and political upheaval. Appeals were made and committees were formed that questioned and impeded the village’s every move. The prison population skyrocketed in the absence of official execution orders and crime rates doubled in the aftermath of such reckless leniency. Clan grievances forgotten or pushed aside in the favor of war or duty became direly significant overnight and the tolerance for internal conflict had led to an uncontrollable political schism. 

Danzo had been stunned.

Was nothing they’d fought to achieve sacred? Had it all been for nothing? Would their sacrifice and toil be forsaken because of one old man’s regret?

Danzo had tried to understand, he truly had, but all he’d seen when he looked around was chaos and the seeds of insurgency. He was horrified, and yet Hiruzen looked upon it with a smile and called it progress.

When war had broken out and Waterfall troops had invaded Stone, it had been a golden opportunity to try and salvage the situation, to gain reputation and resources for Konoha and potentially force Hiruzen out of his political fugue and back into action. Stone was Earth’s ally, so of course Earth would retaliate against Waterfall, and Waterfall was Fire’s ally, so Konoha had been called in. After years of skirmishes fought in the shadows and dead shinobi politely swept under the diplomatic rug, it had been the perfect time to target Earth. Danzo disliked the necessity for the deaths of the Root agents he had sent in, but when the reports came back about Konoha-nin being slaughtered by people dressed as Iwa-nin… the Hokage and the council hadn’t had a choice except to declare war.

Losses had been heavy, but it would’ve all been worth it for the overbearing reparations they could have demanded after winning the war. The Fire daimyo could have had all the land he so desperately coveted, and resources and money wrung from a thoroughly subdued Iwa would have fueled the next generation of Konoha shinobi.

And admittedly… it had been sweet, knowing that the deaths he was orchestrating would bring about the downfall of the enemy that had been responsible for Kagami’s death. He had been the best of all of them, despite being an Uchiha, and to be cut down at twenty-five... so young. Young enough that his children barely remembered him, but Danzo would never forget the sheer _potential_ Kagami had radiated even at such a young age. He’d had talent and loyalty beyond his years and for him to be cut down before he could turn into the driving force Konoha needed to successfully move into the uncertain future, the catalyst that they all knew he could have become… It had been an almost unbearable tragedy. Danzo had waited many years for the chance at justice.

Of course, they had won the war. It had taken years and countless Konohan lives, but they had finally ripped Iwa from off its pedestal and dragged them to their knees in the mud. They’d had them _exactly_ where they’d wanted them, could have demanded anything from them in the aftermath of that final, blood-soaked and terrifying battle, but then…

Hiruzen had just signed the peace treaty. No demands were made, no reparations were sought, _no vengeance was taken._ Hiruzen had let their greatest enemy limp away to lick their wounds and recover instead of dealing the final, devastating blow that would have ensured the security of Konoha for years to come. It was at that moment that Danzo realized that Hiruzen was no longer acting in the interests of Konoha, that he couldn’t be trusted to put the needs of his own people above his inane desire to be kind. Hiruzen had spat in the face of everybody who had fought and died in that carefully crafted, ultimately _useless_ war and yet there were those in the village that had praised the Sandaime as a hero.

Even worse, when his decision to seek peace over reparation had brought upon him much deserved ire from the sensible parts of the Konohan elite, he’d had the gall to _retire._

His offenses could not have been wiped clean by anything less than seppuku, but he didn’t even have the guts to do that. Instead, he left the position of Hokage like a coward running from an enemy, instead of bracing and accepting his duty to live and die as a leader of the village, to deal with his own actions and their consequences until the Pure Lands took him.

The way Tobirama-sensei taught them in their very last lesson. 

When Hiruzen had announced his abdication, Danzo had nearly spat out his tea in shock and fury, but then a bone deep relief had settled in. Oh, Hiruzen would still have power, he was a popular figure integral to village politics, but at least he would no longer be in control. Danzo, being the most experienced member of the council, had been ready to step up and do his duty to Konoha by accepting the mantle of Hokage, but Hiruzen’s machinations had, once again, gotten in the way of everything. 

Danzo took another, measured sip of his tea and grimaced at both the now-cold beverage and his memories.

Hiruzen had maneuvered his pieces flawlessly, timed his words precisely, and in the end of it all, the office of Hokage was passed on to Namikaze. _Namikaze._ The boy had talent and drive, no doubt, and a fearful and intimidating enough reputation after the last war, but he was much too young and idealistic for the responsibility. Perhaps with another twenty years of maturity he would have been a good candidate, but he hadn’t any experience about what it took to truly run a Village, to make sacrifices of the individual pieces of their society for the sake of the whole.

The only good thing that had come from the whole affair was Hiruzen’s final alienation of Orochimaru. Danzo had snapped up the boy’s unrelenting intellect and chameleonic morality with a vindictive pleasure he rarely allowed himself. One of Hiruzen’s beloved children, driven out into the cold by Hiruzen’s own actions. It was almost… poetic.

The satisfaction of it was bitter and hollow in the shadow of Namikaze’s new policies -- ones frightfully reminiscent of Hiruzen’s.

The truly sickening part was the fact that Danzo had been the only one that _wasn’t_ surprised when it blew up spectacularly in their faces. And then Hiruzen had waltzed back in like a savior, a _messiah,_ and Danzo _burned._ It was infuriating to see Hiruzen smiling benevolently down upon the masses from his golden throne like a fond grandfather while he allowed them all to rip Konoha apart at the seams.

The mighty Sandaime: proud of what he had, ashamed of how he got it.

So ashamed that he let the Uchiha coup fester and rot until Danzo had to take drastic action to contain it. Hiruzen’s plan had been too risky, assuming that cutting the head off the snake would be enough to stop the Uchiha revolt was a fool’s hope, and the reliance upon Uchiha Shisui… Shisui was a talented boy, the only real heir to the greatness of Kagami’s legacy, but his abilities were dangerous and double edged. He had seemingly inherited his grandfather’s loyalty to the Village above his Clan, but the ability to warp minds was powerful and corrupting and there was no guarantee that Shisui wouldn’t use that power on himself or Hiruzen. It was better to take that power, where it could be guaranteed for use only in the village’s interests, and to instead use Itachi’s talents to remove the Uchiha from play completely. 

That he’d benefited from this solution in other, more personal ways was just clever strategy, a tactic of which Hiruzen would have once approved. It was like the games of Go the two used to play together, manipulation and strategy given life and form across Tobirama-sensei’s old, ornate goban. Attempting to outmaneuver each other with every ruthlessly placed stone, Hiruzen’s eyes dancing approvingly at Danzo’s cunning.

Danzo’s actions during the attempted coup had been similarly ruthless; he had _saved_ Konoha using methods that would have once garnered him nothing but approval, and yet Hiruzen had hated him for it. He became a pariah in his own village, treated as an enemy when all he ever strove for was to strengthen his people and break them from the bad habits that they’d fallen into under Hiruzen’s rule. 

Allowing the Clans to continue their xenophobic policies -- hoarding their doujutsu and ninjutsu, using them as leverage to affect policy and monopolize the Jounin Corps -- was unacceptable. Removing those political cornerstones from family bloodlines, promoting interbreeding in a controlled manner between Clans or even with civilians, would remove or reduce Clan dominance as well as potentially combine and develop into new, unique, and _useful_ doujutsu.

It had been the Hatake situation that had first opened his eyes to the possibilities. Witnessing the potent combination of the Hatake white chakra and heightened senses with that of the Sharingan’s versatility was _stunning._

The sheer _potential_ of it.

The only downside was Hatake’s lack of control over an eye that was not his by nature. Hatake might have been the pinnacle of shinobi breeding and skill, but his severe and chronic chakra depletion limited his usefulness as an asset.

If only the combination could be induced naturally…

That was the spark, the genesis of his plans, the ultimate inspiration for his own… enhancements after having dealt with the Uchiha coup. He had thought that Hatake, of all people, would have understood, would have been amenable to his plans after having personally suffered under the Uchiha's superiority and vicious selfishness.

Maybe he’d pushed too far, too fast with the boy, let his enthusiasm make him reckless and hasty. 

Hiruzen had always told him that his passion was his greatest weakness, that it made him deaf and blind to the potential consequences of his actions. Danzo had always had the tendency to get ahead of himself. 

It was, Hiruzen used to gently mock, the reason for the majority of Danzo’s fights with his wife.

Kaede had been a gentle soul, but fierce in her own way. She’d cared not one whit for his reputation or skills on the battlefield, but had instead judged him on what he could do as a husband and partner. In return, she had been his most steadfast supporter in the court of public opinion. Even still, he’d often taken her support for granted.

There were many times when he’d get an idea into his head about what the future held and he’d think on it, expand upon it, until it went from a vague concept to a detailed plan already on its way to fruition. It was the reason Tobirama-sensei took Danzo on as a student in the first place -- his mind was _relentlessly_ tenacious. 

This tenaciousness, paired with his high standing and rank among Konoha’s elite policy makers, meant that he often didn’t need, and thus forgot, to take other people’s opinions into account whilst pushing his agenda forward. While this was forgivable for a statesman, it had the tendency to engender Kaede’s ire when he made plans for the both of them without consulting her first. When he was younger and more brash, he’d spent many nights at Hiruzen’s house, nursing a wounded ego and, on one memorable occasion, a violently throbbing nose after taking a flying pot to the face. 

Danzo firmly maintained that, should his wife have ever desired to be a shinobi, she would have specialized in projectile weaponry.

Those fights would always end with Biwako and Kaede commiserating on the stupidity of men and Hiruzen laughing his ass off at Danzo’s misfortune.

_You don’t_ listen, _Danzo,_ Hiruzen would manage to cough out between his giggles. _You get an idea in your head and soon enough you think it’s the only right option, and everyone else will fall in line because you think it’s logical._

_But it_ is _the best option! I’ve thought it all through and gone through all her counterarguments and my idea is still_ valid. _She should see the reason in it!_

_But you need to actually_ have _the conversation with her, idiot, not just predict the outcome and move on with your plans, assuming you’ve already won an argument you’ve yet to have. That only gets pots thrown at your head!_

Their conversations then tended to degrade until they were fighting like boys again, the constant push and pull of “did not, did too” until Biwako would return and banish Danzo back to his own home and to the tender mercies of his wife.

Kaede, thankfully, had always been more forgiving of his flaws than either Hiruzen or Biwako would ever manage to be. 

Danzo had never grown out of the habit of letting his passions consume him and overwhelm his opponents, not even when it stopped being a joke Hiruzen took delight in and instead became the winch that levered them apart. 

Despite Hiruzen calling it his weakness, Danzo found it was often his strength. It was what allowed him to get things done rather than host a plethora of useless debates between equally useless politicians and ultimately wasting time he could have spent more productively. Danzo’s logic was always sound, always, but it had perhaps been too much for the young Hatake to accept so soon and so abruptly. Especially after Hiruzen had managed to reclaim the boy’s loyalty. Even with the need for discretion and secrecy, there had… possibly been better methods to go about his plan. Hatake would have seen reason eventually, Danzo was sure, but it was perhaps another one of those conversations he let fall to the wayside as he strove to make his dreams reality. 

Hatake’s child could have been the beginning of a new, _shining_ era in Konoha’s history. Instead, it was the beginning of a feud between the two reigning powers in Konoha and the fallout had reverberated throughout the village with devastating consequences, starting with the loss of one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi to Hiruzen’s weakness and targeted, political attacks against Danzo. To take a shinobi like Hatake from the front lines just to carry out Hiruzen’s obsessive vendetta against him had been nothing short of selfish and wasteful. It had quickly become clear that Hiruzen was no longer listening to logic. 

Perhaps it should have been a hint that Hiruzen’s children and students had all failed so spectacularly. Asuma had rebelled after his brother’s death, even though he had ultimately bought glory by joining the Daimyo’s guard. Jiraiya had at least settled into a useful role in the end and, while Tsunade’s defection had been annoying and disappointing, at least she hadn’t caused trouble for Konoha in her single-minded determination to drink herself to death. To think that such an unbelievable failure could have been inaugurated as Hokage over Danzo himself… there was no better evidence, in Danzo’s mind, that Konoha had truly fallen from grace.

And Orochimaru. A useful if unpredictable tool, a man that needed to be wielded carefully but always to great effect. He’d been invaluable during the Kyuubi attack, providing enough manpower from his special programs and experiments to recover semi-gracefully from the disaster and he’d proven equally as useful over a decade later when Danzo had carefully arranged to allow the madman to attack uncontested and unknown to any of the Sandaime’s allies.

The invasion had been a success in almost all ways. Konoha had shown its superiority in the face of attack and barely any loss of Konohan life was reported. The Kazekage had been killed, replaced by the unstable Ichibi, which would ensure Suna’s continued weakness as a potential threat to Konoha. The Kyuubi had definitively shown its superiority over the other Tailed Beasts and thus Konoha’s superiority over their enemies. Most importantly, the failed and elderly Sandaime was finally removed from office.

The only failure, in the grand scheme of things, was that Hiruzen hadn’t managed to take Orochimaru with him. At least the madman had been permanently disabled in the confrontation, so it wasn’t a total loss.

Two birds, one carefully placed stone.

Danzo traced the edge of his tea cup with his finger. He had long made it a habit to never lie to himself, and thus he could openly admit that Hiruzen’s death had saddened him. Despite their animosity and disagreements, Danzo had spent more years of his life admiring the man than hating him, and the loss of that fiery spirit to maudlin regrets and cowardly leniency had been akin to a slow, agonizing death that had caused a deep rend in Danzo’s heart. The Sandaime’s death was a long time coming and Danzo had always mourned the necessity of it. Despite his grief, he was willing to step in, to steer Konoha in the right direction and begin to help them recover from years of misguided policy and direction, to become truly strong again.

And then, somehow, Jiraiya had managed to convince the Council that an inebriated, weak, emotional wreck of an ex-shinobi was a better fit for Hokage than Danzo, simply because her family name was Senju. Yet another example of the overwhelming Clan bias inherent in their system.

Danzo snorted. Tobirama-sensei would have been utterly disappointed at how Tsunade failed to uphold both his and Lord Hashirama’s legacies.

Still, it would only be a temporary situation. He had, as always, other plans in play. 

Danzo was ultimately snapped out of his sentimental ruminations by a harsh knock on the door. His lips thinned in vague irritation as he placidly swallowed down the last of his stone-cold tea. He placed the cup down gently, turning the handle until it rested at a pleasant forty-five degree angle, before folding his hands serenely upon his desk and finally speaking.

“Enter.”

A ROOT agent stepped in, closing the door softly before falling into a perfect parade rest. 

“Sir? We have an update on Project Fukkatsu.”

Danzo felt his spine straighten and his fingers twitch.

“Oh?”

“We found them.”

Danzo finally allowed himself to smile. 

**Author's Note:**

> AN: To our regular readers--we are working on the next chapter of Unbreakable as well as the next installment of this series, which is going to be a doozy, but we finished this first and we hope all of you enjoy! Leave a comment and let us know what you think.
> 
> Summary: Danzo reflects on orchestrating the death of Hiruzen, inflaming the third shinobi war, ordering the experimentation and impregnation of Kakashi, and how everything he has done has been for the sake of Konoha (at least in his own mind). 
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Victim-blaming views on suicide and PTSD, shinobi war crimes, dehumanization of others, manipulation, premeditated murder. 
> 
> Now, to answer the question you’re all thinking: Yes, Shimura Kaede is building up an arsenal of pots, pans, and various cutlery to toss at her husband's head once he finally joins her in the afterlife XD
> 
> Sesshu Toyo (雪舟 等楊) was an actual, famous, Japanese painter from the 1400s.
> 
> Yahan Sword comes from 夜半 which means “midnight.”
> 
> The “proud of what he had, ashamed of how he got it” line is a direct quote from the movie “Thor: Ragnarok”. We thought it fit quite well in this context. 
> 
> Also, as far as we can recall/research -- no canon reason was given for Kagami’s death. All we know is that he died at the age of 25 and was Danzo’s genin teammate. So, we decided that he was killed by Iwa-nin and that birthed a rather irrational hatred for Iwa in Danzo and the Third Shinobi War was influenced by him for “logical” reasons, but also this emotional one.


End file.
